DIY Table Saw Fence #1: Table Saw Fence

Nice fence system…In the end was it still cheaper than an after market fence? and secondly does it have some kind of scale?

-- Shane, Askov, Minnesota

I’ve never heard of this system. It certainly looks massive. Interesting. Is there a way to set up a fence rule?

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

You know what?

I think that is at least as good as what you can buy on the market.

Really nice and sort of thinking outside the box.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Yes, it was quite a bit less expensive and I’ll add a fence rule to the top of the rail. I’m also going to make an attachment to the linear bearing that will allow for micro-adjustment of the fence.

Tom, this company just makes aluminum extrusions which are for building things. They don’t really have anything that was designed as a fence system. The top fence is 3X3 and stout, but I don’t think it’s much wider or taller than say a Biesemeyer. I am adding a solid wood face to it. Pretty easy to attach different faces to the fence, sacrificial for dado, etc.

-- Hutch, Montana

Great looking fence. I believe that someone is selling the Wixley digital sliding scale on sale with the Wixley angle tools as being free.

I thought it was in the $100.00 range with the 39.00 tool free.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

You can get some cheap surplus alum extrusions on ebay. The stuff is called 80/20. I was looking at it for building a CNC machine someday.

http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale

Or else you can order the non surplus from their website or catalog.

http://www.8020.net/

Really cool stuff!

The Wixey fence is at Woodcraft. $50.00 off and a free 40.00 gift.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Thanks Karson, I found it and ordered one this afternoon. I am really loving not having a piece of junk fence and hopefully when set up I’ll be making some very accurate cuts. Thanks again!

-- Hutch, Montana

What was the total cost of the fence that you made Hutch? I have been looking at getting either a beisemeyer or clone (Delta T2) for an old Craftsman table saw that I restored. I really like your idea. Does it have any play from front to back?

-- Jamie, Kentucky

I just bought a new saw and since it didn’t come with a fence I was searching on line when I came across your project. I love it, you seem to think like I do. I had come up with a design similar to yours a few years ago, but never built it because I didn’t have a decent saw. I had bought a couple of 4 foot pieces of a similar extrusions at a surplus place and ended up using them to build a bridge and trolley arrangement on which I mounted a Dremel tool.

In any event I had thought of using rack and pinions to provide micro adjustment of the fence. My intent was to run a shaft from the from to the back through the center hole (which mine had) of the fence extrusion. There’s a company by the name of PIC Designs at (http://www.pic-design.com/) the makes a whole galaxy of neat parts. If you haven’t, you may want to check them out.

Zepe

Zepe,
Thanks. So far I love the fence. I’ve attached an mdf face to it with t-nuts and counter sunk bolts. The bearings which ride in 3 of the grooves are made of UHMW plastic and once adjusted with the allen screws and locked into place with the allen set screws, it has smooth travel from end to end. The brake locks the fence solid, no play at all. Right now I couldn’t be happier with the design and the quality of the bearings and brake that I ordered. It has so many options with multiple t-slots, not just on the fence but on the rails as well.
Thanks to Karson, I ordered the Wixey fence scale and it came in today, so I get to install it tonight!
Let me know if you have any other questions.

-- Hutch, Montana

This is good stuff, Hutch. Thanks to you and Zepe for the links for sources. I’ve been wondering where I was going to find such places. Glad to hear of someone so happy with one of their creations for the shop. Strike one for creativity and frugality.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Thanks Jeff. Can you tell I’m happy with the fence? I was worried that I would have a Frankenstein Fence when I was done with it. So far no torches chasing me though.

-- Hutch, Montana

Hutch – Awesome job! Do you happen to have an exact parts list for Futura Industries, I would like to order and build the same thing!

-- Jon | Rigby, Idaho

Hi hutch,

Great project idea! I contacted Futura to get a quote and I’m still contemplating if I’ll purchase a commercial fence like the Accusquare or build this one.

Thanks again for the idea,

Irwin

-- If you're walking on eggs, don't hop!

Thanks. No, not an engineer, but I have two cousins that are engineers for Burlington Northern. Just kidding. As I noted above, I wasn’t at all sure my idea was going to work out. I got lucky this time, but some of my creations are not pretty or functional.

-- Hutch, Montana

Hutch,

I love the idea. I have been wanting a more stable fence with greater reach so I could adda router table next to my saw. So far yours is the sturdiest looking fence I have seen.

Do you have any pictures of the rear rail?
Do you have an approximate total cost to build?
Would you be willing to part with your plans and parts list?

Great job,
Kevin

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Thanks TopE5, but I’m pretty far behind my to do list. I really appreciate the offer, but a call or email to Futura or similar company would get you the same package, or more specifically one that is built for your needs. I just used Futura and when talking with Zach there I told him that I was going to post this project and asked if it would be alright with them if anyone was interested to use similar parts lists. I ordered the front and back rails to be 72” which makes it similar to the 50” aftermarket fences (50” to the right of the blade). You could order the rails, front and back, to what ever length you need and the fence extrusion can also be longer or shorter than the one I did.
The positive responses are really nice to see. I wanted to do a real diy blog for the fence so that others could just use the idea and fine tune it to their needs.
This isn’t the cheapest fence system out there just because it is a diy fence, but I think the value is really there for me with its quality and expandability.

-- Hutch, Montana

Hello Hutch,

Great idea! I’m going to order this and try it myself. 80-20 sells aluminum extrusions as well. One question for you. How did you mount the 72” beams to the table saw? Did you just use slot nuts and tighten it from the inside edge of the table saw? Or did you drill through holes and mount it from the outside?

Thanks for the great writeup. I’ve been thinking about doing something like this but was worried until I saw this post.

Hutch,
Great job. I’ve used aluminum extrusion on various project related to my day job. Love the ability to play with it like Tinker Toys! The company I have used in the past is “Frameworld”: http://www.frame-world.com . The fittings and fasteners as similar in concept. I’ve been wanting to add a better and more useful fence onto my BT3000 Ryobi using the extrusions. Looks like I may have to invest in a stockpile from this vendor as well.

good job and thanks for sharing it!

..and BTW, if you can conceive of a use, you can make it out of this stuff. The only item I can strongly suggest is getting a fine tooth carbide blade for your compound miter saw. Beats the hell out of thinking a hacksaw cuts a straight line!

Viking

Hutch, This is a great design. I am new to woodworking and I bought a second table saw and the fence is junk and I am wanting to build one like yours. I have a couple of questions. 1. How did you mount the rails to the saw? I know you drills a few holes on the saw but what kind of part was used on the rail to secure it? I know a T bolt was used how were you able to tighten it? 2. The back of the fence where it is rides on the second rail how solid is it? Is there any play in it or is it rock solid?

Thanks
Ron

-- Just new to the Hobby. Expect lots of questions.

I just stumbled across this while looking up some T-slot extrusions for work. I’m planning on building something like this for my table saw at home and thought I’d share something I found. The other major T-slot extruded aluminum company, 80/20, has an Ebay outlet shop for overstock and used items. It’s possible to get all you need at a great price. Check it out at http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale.

Gloat gloat !gosh you guys in the states are lucky you can get this stuff so cheap.I bought some of this from RS Components in the uk for a fence and paid about $80+ for a piece anyway it was not economical here to do this so if you can get it at the right price then go for it it’s accurate enough ok .I am just jealous of you yankees prices.lol I will just buy one ready made if I need one in the future Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Thinking of doing something similar, but for a band saw. 80/20 is awesome, we use it at work and it is sturdy and accurate. And with (usually) multiple t-slots on every face you can’t go wrong. Check out www.8020.net and look for their distributor list for the one closest to you (not sure where Futura is located). Nice job Hutch!